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PRESIDENTS' MESSAGE
Stacey Harmon and Karen Willett
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Welcome Back!
It is great to be Back at West! First, we want to thank our dedicated teachers, administrators and custodians for creating a welcoming environment for our children. We also want to thank our parent volunteers who worked hard over the summer to be ready to kick off the new school year.
Get Involved
We hope you will get involved in our West community - whatever your talents or interests, there are many ways to volunteer at West School. Please click
here to visit our Volunteer Sign Up Hub on the PTC website or reach out to us directly.
Join the PTC
If you haven't already, please register for your annual PTC Membership! Your $30 membership fee helps to fund the many PTC programs, teacher grants, field trips, STEM opportunities, author visits and so much more! Your membership includes a copy of the West School directory.
Fall Family Fun Night
We look forward to seeing each of you at our first PTC family social event! Our Fall Family Fun Night is on
Friday, September 21st
on the back playground! Catch up with friends, meet your children's friends, enjoy music, games, and everyone's favorite food trucks for dinner and dessert. Buy your tickets early, it's an event you won't want to miss! Click
here
to buy your tickets.
Contact Us
Please be in touch with us anytime throughout the year at
presidents@westschoolptc.org
. We welcome new ideas and feedback to help make it a great day at West, and we look forward to seeing you at West events!
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YOM KIPPUR, Wednesday, September 19th
FALL FAMILY FUN NIGHT,
Friday,
September
21st, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Don't miss the first and largest family social event of the year! Grab a picnic blanket and bring the entire family to enjoy dinner from a variety of amazing food trucks plus ice cream, g
ames, music by DJ Stella and more! We look forward to seeing you there!
$15/person in advance and $20/person for walk-ins. Kids 2 and under are free. To purchase tickets click
here
and to volunteer click
here
.
(Rain or shine!)
OPEN HOUSE GRADES 3-4,
Tuesday, September 25th
- Grade 3 meet in their child's classroom from 6:30 PM - 7:10 PM
- Administrator/PTC Welcome in the BBT from 7:15 PM - 7:40 PM
- Grade 4 meet in their child's classroom from 7:45 PM - 8:25 PM
SHARE-A-BOOK FOR WEST SCHOOL'S LIBRARY AT OPEN HOUSE NIGHT, Tuesday, September 25th
Our Libr
ary Media Specialist,
Mr. Murren
, continues to build an inspiring and forward-l
ooking space for our school. Parents and caregivers can strengthen that vision by d
onating books. Please look for our table in the lobby at the Open House this month. Share-a-Book is the only fundraiser
for the library at West. With a $20 donation, donors will receive a bookplate that can be personalized. The bookplates will be placed in new books selected by Mr. Murren. Please contact
Barb Rosen
at
(
shareabook@westschoolptc.org
) with any questions.
SPIRIT DAY, Friday, September 28th
Wear your
Green, White and Westy! Spirit wear will be on sale at the Open House on
September 25th. Shop early to get the best selection, and
Be Ready for Spirit Day.
VISITING AUTHOR ROSEMARY WELLS, Monday, October 15th
We are excited to welcome Visiting Author, Rosemary Wells, to West School. Your child can receive personalized, signed copies of Rosemary Wells' books! ELM STREET BOOKS will deliver the books to the school to be signed by the author during her visit. Book order forms will be coming home in backpacks (or click
here
to download and print). All forms must be returned to your child's teacher by
Friday, September 28th.
DISTRICT-WIDE PARENT MEETING, Thursday, October 18, 2018, 7:00 PM
Marc Brackett, Ph.D., Director of the Yale University Center for Emotional Intelligence presents "From Theory to Practice: Emotionally Intelligent Parenting". It is widely recognized that Emotional Intelligence has a powerful influence on performance, decision making, relationships, and health. Dr. Brackett is returning to New Canaan by popular demand to share strategies to help increase our emotional intelligence as parents. He will review the five key skills of Emotional Intelligence, including tools that will be taught to students in the district this year and next. He will also discuss how parents can support this work at home. He will be speaking at the Saxe Middle School Auditorium.
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SAVE THE DATES FOR THIS YEAR'S CONCERTS
- Friday, May 3rd - First Grade Concert
- Friday, May 17th - Second Grade Concert
- Friday, June 7th - Fourth Grade Concert (Rain date Monday, June 10th)
- Thursday, June 13th - Third Grade Concert
- Friday, June 14th - Kindergarten Concert
All concerts are in the Brown Bag Theater. If you have any questions, please contact the music teacher,
Monica Fitzgerald (
monica.fitzgerald@ncps-k12.org).
A MESSAGE FROM MRS. ZEISS IN THE ART ROOM
Welcome to the Art Studio! I would like to take this moment to extend a warm welcome to you and your family. I am excited about the upcoming school year and have many projects your children will learn from and enjoy. Art classes meet once for an hour on the six day rotation schedule. We began the year drawing self-portraits.
Please be on the lookout for artwork hanging in the halls. Each grade has a display board near their classrooms, and each board includes an explanation of the art project. Periodically I will send home portfolios of artwork rather than send one piece home at a time.
I have explained the importance of caring for the Art Studio to all West School students. The children are proud of their art room and have expressed their interest in working hard, as well as taking care of their supplies. Thank you in advance for your support.
REQUESTED SUPPLIES:
Please send in a large adult (or oversized) t-shirt for your child to use as a smock, with their name clearly identified. We have found that old dress shirts and store bought smocks are too large, often put on wrong, and don't hold up as well as the t-shirts.
JOIN THE PTC TODAY
Join the West PTC and get a free copy of the school directory. Dues are $30 and directories will be sent home with your oldest child. Click here for more information and to join the PTC online.
LUNCH OPTIONS
Click
here for monthly lunch options. Students now have several choices for lunch. Please be sure your child knows about the new choices. Classroom teachers will be asking them to order one of the five choices in the morning. If students order something other than hot lunch, they should let the lunch staff know once they are in line. Please be aware that options like yogurt, cheese sticks and fruit that do not come with the meal are charged as extras.
- Hot lunch
- Boars Head turkey and cheese sandwich
- SunButter and jelly
- Bagel lunch (bagel, yogurt, cheese stick)
- Fun Lunch (pinwheels or cheese, fruit, crackers
WEST FAMILY PHOTO DAYS
The PTC is thrilled to announce that Family Photo Days are back! This is one of West School PTC's most popular fundraisers. Book your Family Photos Days session today! Click
here
fo
r all the details and to sign up.
WEST SCHOOL VOL
U
NTEER HUB
 The PTC needs parent volunteers throughout the year to keep our programs running smo
othly
. We hope all parents will find an opportunity to get
involved.
Click
here
to see the c
ur
rent volu
nteer opportunities around school.
LUNCHROOM VOLUNTEER SHIFT SIGN UPS
Click
here
to see and help your children and their friends during lunch!
MEDIA CENTER VOLUNTEERS
T
he lo
n
g
awaited media center signup has arrived and we need
you! Come see your chil
d during their class session and help make it a great day in the West School Media Center. Please click
here
to sign up.
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WELCOME BACK PTC COFFEE
It was great seeing so many of you at the Welcome Back PTC coffee this week! We heard from: New Canaan Schools Superintendent,
Dr. Bryan Luizzi
, who gave us an overview of New Canaan school news; New Canaan CARES Executive Director,
Ellen Brezovsky
, who spoke about upcoming CARES events; Student Support Coordinator
Dr. Susan Bliss
, who provided an overview of the Emotional Intelligence programming that will be implemented at West this year;
Principal Jan Murphy
, who updated us on the wonderful happenings in and around West. If you missed the meeting, you can visit the PTC website to join the PTC and find opportunities to volunteer. THANK YOU to
Erica Schwedel,
PTC Parent Education VP
, for organizing this great event.
WEST SCHOOL DIRECTORY THANK YOU
A huge THANK YOU to
PTC Secretary,
Megan Morales
, for her hard work on the West School Directory. Megan was able to get the directories to the printer in record time, and we are all happy to have them so early this year!
THANK YOU TO OUR CLASSROOM COORDINATORS
Thank you to all who have volunteered to be Classroom Coordinators this year at West! Your time and efforts are much appreciated and are instrumental in helping your teachers and class parents throughout the school year. Thank you to Classroom Coordinators Chairs, Caryn Kelly, Sheri Cronk and Susan Clarke, for getting everyone up and running! Click here to download a complete listing of Classroom Coordinators for each class.
THANK YOU TO OUR PICTURE DAY VOLUNTEERS
Thank you to our Picture Day Volunteers
Mandy Miller, Katrina Parkhill,
and
Marnie Zaffino
for keeping things running smoothly (and keeping flyaway hair in check) as our hundreds of children, teachers and staff were photographed in a single day.
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Principals of each of the district's schools presented "Opening of the School Reports" detailing student population numbers and staffing levels as well as an enrollment report from Gary Kass. Currently, there are 4,173 students in the NCPS system and 50 new hires. West School welcomed 30 new students/28 new families with a school-wide enrollment of 438 students. In addition, the unaudited EOY 2018 Budget Report was submitted and approved at this meeting. Meeting notes and detailed information on the EOY Budget Report and Enrollment numbers can be found here.
The next BOE meeting is scheduled for
Monday, September 17th at 7:00 PM, NCHS, Wagner Room. All BOE meetings are broadcast live on cablevision channel 78 and rebroadcast on
Thursdays at 7:30 PM and Mondays at 4:00 PM. Questions? Please contact the West BOE Reps
Janée Hunter and
Mary Blanc at
edurep@westschoolptc.org
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NEW CANAAN LIBRARY
Join an instructor from the
Chinese Language School of CT to learn about Chinese culture & language! With interactive games, hands-on activities, songs, storytelling, and movement, Play & Learn helps children to develop an early foundation in bilingual and bi-cultural competence.
Children ages 5-8 are welcome on Monday, September 17th at 4:15 PM.
NCLA FALL LACROSSE CLINICS
New Canaan Lacrosse Association Fall Ball Clinics are open for registration. Girls' clinics are grades K-8 and boys' clinics are K-4. Click
here for details and to register.
NEW CANAAN NATURE CENTER
CIDER SATURDAY
Celebrate the fall cider season here at NCNC on September 15th from 11 AM to 3 PM! Come and enjoy an early autumn afternoon of family fun with cider press demonstrations, old-fashioned games, a pumpkin scavenger hunt, seasonal harvest crafts for kids, baked apples, and corn bread on a stick. Fill your bellies with delicious corn dogs, grilled corn, fresh cider, and baked goodies, all available for purchase. New for 2018: A Bounce House courtesy of Mad Hatter Moon Bounce! Also new for 2018: Apple Olympics at 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM! Join us on the Green to see if you have what it takes to complete our Pollination Relay Race, get a strike while Bowling for Apples, score a three-pointer at Apple Hoops, and crush the competition during our first ever Cider Donut Eating Contest! Pre-register here or purchase tickets at the door! Members: $10/person Non-Members: $15/person.
CUB SCOUT PACK 7 FAMILY BONFIRE
Join Cub Scout Pack 7 New Canaan at our annual Family Bonfire for capture the flag with dinner and s'mores over a campfire on Thursday, September 20th at 7:00 PM. All prospective Scouts, their parents and all siblings are invited to join returning boys and their families to hear what Cub Scouting is all about. This is a family event and siblings are invited. Cub Scouting is for boys in Kindergarten through 5th grade. Pack 7 is comprised of boys from local public and private schools.
ANIMALS, AUTHORS & ART CLUB: KINDERGARTEN & 1ST GRADERS
If you love animals, stories, and crafts than this is the club for you! This club will offer participants the chance to meet two animals each week, read a nature-themed story, and show off their artsy side. Come get creative with us as we discover the many ways animals & humans alike express themselves! Join us on the Green at the nature center every Tuesday after school from 3:45 PM to 5 PM. Program runs for 8 weeks starting September 25th to November 20th (we will not meet November 6). Cost to register for all 8 weeks: $230 per member/$310 per non-member Register here today!
ADVENTURES IN NATURE CLUB: 2ND & 3RD GRADERS
If you like to get outside, explore the natural world, and have a love for animals, this club is for you. We will have the opportunity to explore everything nature has to offer, by looking for wildlife, finding animal prints and signs, and interacting with the animals in our collection. Adventurers will meet every Wednesday after school from 3:45 PM to 5 PM at the nature center. Program runs for 8 weeks starting September 26th to November 14th. Cost to register for all 8 weeks: $230 per member/$310 per non-member Register here!
WILDLIFE EXPLORATION CLUB: 4TH & 5TH GRADERS
If you want hands-on wildlife experience with a professional naturalist, than the Wildlife Exploration Club is for you. Students will get to help handle and care for the captive animals at the Nature Center. They will also be able to handle and study the native wild animals found in our ponds, fields, and forests. Join us on the trails and in our Animal Care Center every Wednesday after school from 3:45 PM to 5 PM. Program runs for 8 weeks starting September 26th until November 14th, 2018. Cost to register for all 8 weeks: $230 per member/$310 per non-member Register here!
TRY SQUASH
The NC Squash K-4 fall season starts
Wednesday, September 26th and registration is open! Click
here to register and to learn more details. In addition, if you want to see if squash is for you, students are welcome to attend one "Try It" clinic for no charge on September 26th (or another scheduled practice by appointment) by contacting
Suzanne Koeppl at
suzanne.koeppl@gmail.com.
NEW CANAAN YMCA
Elementary schoolers have the run of the Y for one night this month on
Saturday, September 29th
from
6:30 PM to 9 PM
! For this event participants will be divided into groups of 5 or so and lead around the Y to several activities such as free swim in the Scooter pool (non-swimming option available), time in Bouncing Bears, events in the gym, and activities in the Flex Space! A snack will also be provided at the start of the event! Register
here
. Member and non-member rates $20/$35. Must register before hand! Join the fun at the Y this fall! Other dates for the program are
October 20th and November 10th.
HELPFUL AND HEALTHY STRATEGIES TO FEED KIDS BETTER MEALS
Join New Canaan resident and former West School mom Dawn Kurth of No Kidding Nutrition (www.nokiddingnutrition.com) on Thursday, September 20th, 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM for a workshop for anyone who is tired of dealing with the six o'clock scramble or had one too many pizza nights. Dawn will provide parents with practical advice, sensible strategies, and time-saving tools for feeding their families nutritiously. Actionable steps, local and online resources, and kid-friendly recipes are included. This event is free and open to the community, but space is limited. Please sign up here. Location: Martin House Workspace, 69 Westchester Avenue, Pound Ridge.
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NEW CANAAN LIBRARY
Join an instructor from the
Chinese Language School of CT to learn about Chinese culture & language! With interactive games, hands-on activities, songs, storytelling, and movement, Play & Learn helps children to develop an early foundation in bilingual and bi-cultural competence.
Children ages 5-8 are welcome on Monday, September 17th at 4:15 PM.
NCLA FALL LACROSSE CLINICS
New Canaan Lacrosse Association Fall Ball Clinics are open for registration. Girls' clinics are grades K-8 and boys' clinics are K-4. Click
here for details and to register.
NEW CANAAN NATURE CENTER
CIDER SATURDAY
Celebrate the fall cider season here at NCNC on
September 15th from 11 AM to 3 PM! Come and enjoy an early autumn afternoon of family fun with cider press demonstrations, old-fashioned games, a pumpkin scavenger hunt, seasonal harvest crafts for kids, baked apples, and corn bread on a stick. Fill your bellies with delicious corn dogs, grilled corn, fresh cider, and baked goodies, all available for purchase. New for 2018: A Bounce House courtesy of Mad Hatter Moon Bounce! Also new for 2018: Apple Olympics at 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM! Join us on the Green to see if you have what it takes to complete our Pollination Relay Race, get a strike while Bowling for Apples, score a three-pointer at Apple Hoops, and crush the competition during our first ever Cider Donut Eating Contest! Pre-register
here or purchase tickets at the door! Members: $10/person Non-Members: $15/person.
CUB SCOUT PACK 7 FAMILY BONFIRE
Join Cub Scout Pack 7 New Canaan at our annual Family Bonfire for capture the flag with dinner and s'mores over a campfire on
Thursday, September 20th at 7:00 PM. All prospective Scouts, their parents and all siblings are invited to join returning boys and their families to hear what Cub Scouting is all about. This is a family event and siblings are invited. Cub Scouting is for boys in Kindergarten through 5th grade. Pack 7 is comprised of boys from local public and private schools.
ANIMALS, AUTHORS & ART CLUB: KINDERGARTEN & 1ST GRADERS
If you love animals, stories, and crafts than this is the club for you! This club will offer participants the chance to meet two animals each week, read a nature-themed story, and show off their artsy side. Come get creative with us as we discover the many ways animals & humans alike express themselves! Join us on the Green at the nature center every Tuesday after school from 3:45 PM to 5 PM. Program runs for 8 weeks starting September 25th to November 20th (we will not meet November 6). Cost to register for all 8 weeks: $230 per member/$310 per non-member Register
here today!
ADVENTURES IN NATURE CLUB: 2ND & 3RD GRADERS
If you like to get outside, explore the natural world, and have a love for animals, this club is for you. We will have the opportunity to explore everything nature has to offer, by looking for wildlife, finding animal prints and signs, and interacting with the animals in our collection. Adventurers will meet every Wednesday after school from 3:45 PM to 5 PM at the nature center. Program runs for 8 weeks starting September 26th to November 14th. Cost to register for all 8 weeks: $230 per member/$310 per non-member Register
here!
WILDLIFE EXPLORATION CLUB: 4TH & 5TH GRADERS
If you want hands-on wildlife experience with a professional naturalist, than the Wildlife Exploration Club is for you. Students will get to help handle and care for the captive animals at the Nature Center. They will also be able to handle and study the native wild animals found in our ponds, fields, and forests. Join us on the trails and in our Animal Care Center every Wednesday after school from 3:45 PM to 5 PM. Program runs for 8 weeks starting September 26th until November 14th, 2018. Cost to register for all 8 weeks: $230 per member/$310 per non-member Register
here!
TRY SQUASH
The NC Squash K-4 fall season starts Wednesday, September 26th and registration is open! Click
here to register and to learn more details. In addition, if you want to see if squash is for you, students are welcome to attend one "Try It" clinic for no charge on September 26th (or another scheduled practice by appointment) by contacting Suzanne Koeppl at
suzanne.koeppl@gmail.com.
NEW CANAAN YMCA
Elementary schoolers have the run of the Y for one night this month on Saturday, September 29th from 6:30 PM to 9 PM! For this event participants will be divided into groups of 5 or so and lead around the Y to several activities such as free swim in the Scooter pool (non-swimming option available), time in Bouncing Bears, events in the gym, and activities in the Flex Space! A snack will also be provided at the start of the event! Register
here. Member and non-member rates $20/$35. Must register before hand! Join the fun at the Y this fall! Other dates for the program are October 20th and November 10th.
HELPFUL AND HEALTHY STRATEGIES TO FEED KIDS BETTER MEALS
Join New Canaan resident and former West School mom Dawn Kurth of No Kidding Nutrition (
www.nokiddingnutrition.com) on
Thursday, September 20th, 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM for a workshop for anyone who is tired of dealing with the six o'clock scramble or had one too many pizza nights. Dawn will provide parents with practical advice, sensible strategies, and time-saving tools for feeding their families nutritiously. Actionable steps, local and online resources, and kid-friendly recipes are included. This event is free and open to the community, but space is limited. Please sign up
here. Location: Martin House Workspace, 69 Westchester Avenue, Pound Ridge.
NEW NEIGHBORS COFFEE
New Canaan New Neighbors is having a welcome coffee for new residents for Friday, September 28th at 9:30 AM at the Silvermine Market. Samantha Loomis (resident for over 30 years) will be there to answer any questions you have about New CAnaan, give you very helpful information about the town and all of its resources, as well as lots of lovely gifts from local vendors who would like to welcome you to town! If interested, please email Samantha Loomis.
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